A Hidden Past
by TrayC
Summary: Stephanie has a past full of secrets and it's coming back to haunt her. Ranger and Morelli, on the other hand, are investigating two different cases that leads them to Stephanie.......... My first story, please review.
1. Default Chapter

_Disclaimer: All the characters from the Stephanie Plumbooks are Janet's, she owns them. The rest of the characters are mine._

**A Hidden Past - Default Chapter**

I was so tired from chasing after FTAs today that I just plopped in front of the TV when I came home. I switched the channel and the news caught my eye. I turned up the volume. "Lisa Barron, a woman in her thirties, was found dead today in New York City. The police said she had died from drug overdose, but strangely enough, her body was found in a coffin outside the police station..." They showed the picture of Ellen Barron.

_Omigod! I know her! She's the Ellen Barron from college!_ Tears started to form in my eye and I fought to keep them back, but it was no use. Her brain was suddenly filled with memories from college. _Wait! I can't let anyone know that I know her! Or else they'll find out about our pasts…_

_(This is my first story, so please leave a comment and tell me how I'm doing)_


	2. The First Victim

**A Hidden Past  
****Chapter One - The First Victim**

Still caught off guard by what had happened last night, I didn't notice Ranger until I walked right into him when I went to collect my FTA bill. I stumbled back, but he grabbed my wrist and pulled me close.

"You should be more aware of your surroundings, babe."

"Sorry, I wasn't paying attention." We locked eyes for a moment and he let go of me. I looked at Connie and Lulu. They were fanning themselves, _again_. "Look, I'll be away for a while. Call Tank if you need any help." He leaned in on my ear and whispered, "Try not to break into my apartment this time."

"Where are you going this time?"

"New York." I looked at him. His expression was unreadable. Then I thought about last night.

"This doesn't have anything to do with the Ellen Barron case, does it?"

"It does. You know her?" I shook my head. He looked at me in a strange expression and left.

"Damn skippy, maybe I should walk into Ranger next time. Maybe that would get him to talk **me** more." Lula was smiling at me.

_Whatever_. I forced a weak smile at her. Then, I turned to Connie. "Hey Connie, do you have any new skips for me?"

"Yup, two of them." I opened the first file. Harvey Gradett, arrested for robbing a bank and attempted assault. His weapon was a pocket knife. _Amateur. Oh what the hell, I'll do it for the $900._ The second FTA was Jeremy Hadrid. He was arrested for possession of all kinds of drugs. You name it, he had it. He was worth $1,200.

"Hey Lula, want to ride shotgun?" I was too tired to cuff anybody today. I am definitely going to need help.

Lula glanced at me for a minute. "Translation: I'm too tired, I need help."

"Yeah."

"Fine, I'll go"

"Thanks."

"Hey, no problem. I love helping the poor and needy. And it beats the shit out of filing." Lula grabbed her bag and got into the Buick. "So who are we going after first?"

"Jeremy Hadrid. I'm not in the mood to be chased around by a pocket knife just yet."

"Fuckin' A"

I rang the doorbell to Jeremy Hadrid's house. He opened the door with the chain in place. "Who the hell are you guys?"

"I'm Stephanie Plum and this is Lula. We're bond agents from the Vincent Plum Bail Bonding Company. You missed your court date and we're here to take you back to the police station to reschedule."

"Over my dead body!" Jeremy slammed the door in our faces.

"Oh no he didn't! Let me at him!" Lula pulled out her Glock and aimed it at Jeremy through his kitchen window. Jeremy saw her and ran threw the door, right into me and I cuffed him.

"Lula, put that god damn gun away before you shoot someone."

"Ain't the whole point of carrying a gun is to shoot people with it?" I glared at her and she put the gun back in her purse. "So I guess we drop him off at the police station and start looking for Harvey Gradett."

"I'd rather we get Harvey Gradett first and drop them both off at the same time." I sighed, "Sorry, I'm a bit pissed today." _Plus, I'm PMSing._

"Fine by me. By the way, you're PMSing aren't you? I can tell from that temper of yours."

_Damnit! Does everybody have ESP except for me?_

I knocked on Harvey Gardett's door. Nobody answered. I tried the doorknob and surprisingly, it opened (_I think the lock was broken_). I walked in and found him pacing in the kitchen. It took him ten full minutes to realize me and Lula were there. "How did-… Who are you people?"

"I'm Stephanie Plum and this is Lula. We're bond agents from the Vincent Plum Bail Bonding Company. You missed your court date and we're here to take you back to the police station to reschedule."

Lula looked at me. "You got any other lines other than that?"

I glared at her. Harvey suddenly lunged at me and grabbed his pocket knife. I ducked and Lula took out her gun and shot at him. The bullet hit the knife and knocked it out of his hands. "No shooting, Lula!" I yelled at her.

"Are you kidding me? That man tried to kill you! I saved your life, and now you're yelling at me."

Harvey ran for the door and me and Lula ran after him. Lula slips on the knife and sent me hurtling at Harvey. Then, I was suddenly on top of a Harvey and Lula was on top of me (damn is she heavy!).

By the time I got to the police station, Lula was long gone. Eddie Gazzara came out to haul Jeremy and Harvey out of my Buick and Morelli came over.

"Cupcake, I'm going to be out of town for a while." My heart skipped a beat.

"You aren't going to New York, are you?"

"No. Why?" _Thank god, I don't have to worry about him._

I shrugged. "Just wondering." He eyed me curiously.

After all the excitement, I went to Pino's. By the time I got home, it was 9. I fed Rex a grape and took a shower. I was going to bed when I noticed it. there was a rose and a letter in the middle of my bed. I opened the letter and a picture fell out, a picture of me and my friends. Lisa was crossed out. The note read:

_Roses are red_

_Violets are blue_

_Lisa is dead_

_You will be too_

_(You'll find out who Lisa is in the next chapter if you haven't figured it out. My story is a bit confusing, sorry!)_


	3. Back to the Past

_Note:  
__This might get a bit confusing so I'll give you this  (Stephanie Carla) & (Ellen Lisa)_

**A Hidden Past  
****Chapter Two - Back to the Past**

_What should I do?_ I paced around the room frantically. I stopped dead in my tracks. _Lisa and I aren't the only victims here; there are other people in the picture. There are six other victims, all my friends, all part of my secret past._ The phone rang and I jumped.

"H-hello?" I was nervous. I couldn't stop shaking.

"Carla?" My heart skipped a beat._ Who is this woman and how does she know my name?_ Then, recognition hit me.

"Omigod! Mischa!"

"Lisa's dead! Then I came home to find a rose, a note, and-"

"and a photo of us with Lisa crossed off," I finished for her. "It happened to you too?"

"It happened to all of us! We're going to meet at home tomorrow at noon.

"OK. Be careful, Mischa."

"You too."

(Next morning at 8 o'clock)  
I was driving out of town when I suddenly remembered Vinnie, and my family. I called Vinnie.

"Hello?"

"Stephanie? Why the hell are you calling me? You should be coming in and getting your FTAs!"

"Uhh, actually, I'm going out of town for a few days."

"WHAT? Ranger is gone, I need you! I gave you a job and this is how you pay me back?"

"Calm down, Tank is taking all of Ranger's FTAs. You can give mines to Joyce or Lula. They'll be glad to take it." Vinnie started swearing in Italian and I hung up before he could say anything else. Then, I called my house.

"Hello?"

"Hey, mom."

"Ms Stephanie Plum! Where have you been? I haven't seen you in days; have you ever stop to think that I might be worried about you? And what's this I hear about Joe leaving? You two still haven't gotten back together yet? Why can't you just stick to your engagement? Why can't you just quit your stupid job and settle down? Oh, why me?"

"Mom, I've been working. I was too busy to have time to see or call you. I've thought about it but I always forget. And Joe is leaving to investigate this case; it has nothing to do with me. Anyways, why should I get engaged when I'm not happy with it? I am not going to quit my job and it's not stupid." I take a long breath and sighed, "Mom, I'm leaving town for a while, you won't be seeing me anytime soon."

"WHAT! I have been worried sick about you hoping you'd call and when you do, you're telling me you're leaving town and I won't be seeing you? You might as well not call then!"

_I wish I hadn't_, I thought silently.

"Why are you leaving and when will you be back?"

"I'm leaving because my friends are in trouble and they need my help. I don't know when I'll be back." Then, just to get her off the phone, I said, "Mom, I'm going into a tunnel now, there's no reception in there, so bye!" And I hung up.

When I got to the border of Trenton, I swung the car into the forest and got out. I walked for about 10 minutes when I saw it. My car, the one that no one knew about (except for my friends of course). A brand new gleaming black Ferrari (it's not brand new, but it looks like it is). Like Ranger's car, my Ferrari has a GPS tracking system so I know where my friends were, sensors so I'll know if anybody tampered with my car, and an alarm system.

(At New York City)  
I turned on the radio and switched to the news station.

"Another body was found in front of the police station. Like Ellen Barron, she was in a coffin and was in her thirties. Her name is Michelle Dale and she died from suicide. Michelle Dale had slit her wrist and bled to death…"

_Oh no! Michelle Dale… but that's Mischa! She can't… but that's not…_ Tears started forming in my eyes. I tried to fight it back but it still trickled down my cheek.

I parked in front of 'home' and walked up to the porch. This so called home was where my friends and I stayed for 3 years. It was equipped with a state-of-the-art alarm system. The house was three floors; the second and third floor had 5 bedrooms. Each bedroom had its own bathroom, so everything else was basically on the first floor. I opened the glove compartment and took out my wallet and ID.

_Alright,_ I thought, _I'm Carla Merido, 30 years old, born on February 12, 1975. _And then, I entered the house.

_(A Ferrari is an Italian car; it's listed under the most expensive cars in the world)_


End file.
